Container handle



Jan. 6, 1948. E: socKl: 2,433,870

CONTAINER'HANDLE Filed Dec. 29, `19475 Patented Jan. 6;, 1948 .John E. Socke, .Pelham Manor, N., X-,assignor to American -Can Company, New York, N. X., a corporation `of New Jersey ``Application December 29, 1943,Serial No.I 516,073

` 4 Claims.

The present .inventionsrelatesto containersand has particular reference.y to a,.ceilapsble carrying khandle which is attachedtdthe container ,and Ywhich may .be grasped read y N.to bring .ii/.finlO Vcontainer carrying positionieren though it lies vflat .against the ,container or isdisposed v.in a sunken panel thegcontainer.

Collapsible handles .used :for carrying containers usually are constructedgto lie ,flat-against a wall .offthe Vcontainer in-order te occupy less v`space and to kbe out ofthe-way. Eirequentiysuch .handles are diSPQsed in sunkengpanels or `receses formedin awall `section of the container and thus are .in amore or lessprotected position inwardly ofthe outer .surface of the container.

However, such close .lying-.and-pnotected handles are sometimes difcultto grasoespecially incold weather when the containers must be handled while gloves are being Worn. t

The instant inventionfcentemplates oven-1.0mi-ng lthis 4.di-fliculty providing .ahandle that may bcpartial-lyy lifted;byfaslightpressure anche end thereof so that the Opposite-end will risesll'- .ciently to enablethe handle tobekgraspedeven while wearing heavygloves. f

An object of the inventionuis therprovisionoi a carrying handlemfor a container wherein the is formed with a projecting part disposed adjacent one vend :and `space d'inwardly from the end whereby pressure applied to the end of the hand-le liits its opposite vend Aclear of ,the container so that the handle may be grasped readily for bringing iti-nto cnntainercarryng position.

Numerous other objects andadvantages ofthe invention will be apparentas'it is betterunderstoodromthe'following description, which.taiken :inconnection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing.:

Figure l is a perspectivey-.iew of a container `with a cover in closedposition-land a y`carrying handle, embodying the instant invention, disposed in a recess formed in the cover;

Fig, 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the container cover and illustrating one end of the handle when the handle is in collapsed position in the recess;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the handle tilted upwardly by pressure applied at an end thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the handle and cover as taken substantially along they line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawing illustrates a rectangular ...2 shaped sheet metal container A v.vvhicll adapted 91.1 ttedvitha tainer.. or the like. The @entamer :1s

cover B eonnectedbv. hinges C t0. aside Wallf the container. A ,collapsible handle D isk provdcdr .carrying the container. Thedrawing shows Ythe .handle .located in Sunken panel or Vrecess y E formed in thecorer so :that the hand-1e whenlwt in use will heoutoi the way andrrotected,

-,thou gh'the invention is equally well adapted to .handles which .11e .dat .aaai-asten Outsidewall of thecontainer ,when not in use.

The handle AD is .maclexprcferably from .one

.pieceef sheetmetal and .comprises a tubular body .or hand eripclement or portion yl I 0f ,Semiacirealar .or eval I.como.rrnationf with a dat .t0n :seCQn .9.2. .The por-tion of ihehandle is `-designed .to t the when the handle is usedvtovcarry the container andthe-,flat top perdon -of the hanf .dlemakes it flush with the top of the container when in collapsed position V.witliin the recessuE formed in the cover B.

The ends .of .the handle .are formed with .an .undercut stepped section .l ,5, which .extends frein the body portion Il along an upwardly inclined vand preferably .curi/fed line into ,a reducedthick .ness flatsectionl .disposed Iadjacent andparal.- 1e1 .with the flat rtop .portion .of .the handle The .outer end of ,the `hat section lr6 terminates in a loop .l'which is connected by a loose fitting rectangularshaped link i9 in iloose iioating relation to an .elongated leyelet .clip v 2l lsecured .to ,the container in any suitable manner, Vsuch as .by Welding. The drawing shows ,one end of the `clip secured to `the top wall of .the .container cover B .while the other .end is .disposed linthe recess@ and-maybe secured yto .the kbottorn wall 4of lthe recess. There is one of these llinlrand clip .con- `nections at each end .ofthe handle.

.The .clips 2i .are elongated .sufficiently to permit the links ILS .to .slide ,back -adjacent the `olli/.er ends of the recess 'E when the handle is in its collapsed position within the recess so that the handle will lie flat, and to slide forward adjacent the inner ends of the clips when the handle is in a raised carrying position clear of the recess.

When the ordinary handle is in a collapsed position within the recess E or when it lies flat against the outside wall of the container where such a construction is used, it is diflicult to pick up, especially when gloves are worn. However, in the case of a handle constructed according to the instant invention, it is merely necessary to press on the stepped section l5 at either end of the handle, as best shown in Fig. 3. Pressure on one end of the handle depresses that end and lifts the opposite end into a position where the :lingers may be inserted readily between the handle body and the container. With such a provision the handlemay be gripped and brought into carrying position with one motion. In fact, with such a construction of handle the entire operation may be done easily with one hand.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A collapsible carrying handle for containers and other articles having a recess formed in a surface thereof wherein a said handle is attached and disposed in protected position with the bottom of the handle resting against the wall of the recess and with the top of the handle substantially flush with said surface, said handle comprising a one piece hollow sheet metal hand grip having a relatively thick semi-circular central body section terminating at its opposite endsin relatively thin sections spaced `vertically away from the wall of said recess and terminating in looped sections, and a pair of links engaged in said looped sections for connecting hingedly the ends of the handle to the container, the opposite ends of said links having a loose floating connection with a wall of said container, whereby pressure applied to either end of the handle adjacent one of the links tilts the handle and thereby lifts the opposite end out of the recess so that the handle may be grasped readily for bringing it into handle carrying position.

2. A collapsible carrying handle for containers and other articles, comprising a hand grip element including a substantially flat main central body portion adapted to lie closely against a surface of the container when the handle is not in use. said handle body portion having a relatively thin portion disposed in the plane of the top of said body portion adjacent each of its opposite ends spaced away from said surface when said central body portion is resting against the container surface, the opposite ends of said handle body portion having a loose sliding connection with said container surface to dispose the handle closely against said surface when in noncarrying position, whereby pressure applied to the outer thinned section at the end of the handle tilts the latter and elevates its opposite end clear of the said container surface, so that the handle may be grasped readily for bringing the same into container carrying position.

3. A carrying handle for containers and other articles having a recess formed in a surface thereof wherein a said handle is attached and disposed in protected position with the top of the handle substantially flush with said surface, said handle having fa, substantially straight flat main body portion provided on its bottom surface with a stepped fulcrum spaced longitudinally inwardly from one end thereof, an outermost thinned portion of the handle being disposed in the plane of the top of said body portion and in spaced overhanging relation to its said bottom surface, the opposite ends of said handle having a loose horizontally slidable connection with said container surface within the latter to dispose the handle within said recess substantially flush with said surface when in non-carrying position,

whereby pressure applied to said thinned outermost end of the handle elevates its opposite end out of the said protecting recess, so that the handle may be readily grasped for bringing the same into container carrying position.

4. A carrying handle for containers and other articles having a surface wherein said handle is hingedly attached at its terminal ends by opposed link members so that the handle may be placed in carrying and non-carrying positions, comprising a pair of oppositely disposed elongated clip members on the container, said handle including a central substantially straight hollow sheet metal hand grip member having a flat body portion connected at its opposite ends to said link members, the latter being respectively slidable in said clip members, said hand grip member being closely engageable with the container surface when in non-carrying position and having at its extreme end a portion of reduced thickness disposed in the plane of the top of the handle member, said reduced handle end being spaced vertically from said container surface when the handle is in non-carrying position, whereby pressure applied to said handle end tilts the handle and lifts its opposite end clear of the container surface so that the lhandle may be readily grasped for bringing the same into container carrying position.

JOHN E. SOCKEL REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name l Date 1,074,133 Neustaedter Sept. 30, 1913 1,495,752 La Rue May '27, 1924 2,314,799 Piker Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 409,032 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1934 

